What
if you could watch the next great American president grow up? That
compelling question is the idea behind a powerful new drama from
master storytellers Greg Berlanti (Everwood, Dawson's Creek), Thomas
Schlamme (The West Wing, Ally McBeal), Vanessa Taylor (Everwood)
and Mickey Liddell (Everwood, Go). The pilot was directed by the
incomparable David Nutter (Smallville, Without a Trace).
If
"greatness is thrust upon us," as Winston Churchill once
said, then it stands to reason that those who are destined for greatness
are rarely aware of it. Take Jack (newcomer Matthew Long) and Bobby
McCallister (Logan Lerman, The Butterfly Effect) for example: two
bright young brothers growing up under the watchful eye of their
eccentric single mother Grace McCallister (Christine Lahti, Chicago
Hope). Grace's personality is a force of nature destined to shape
both of these young men's lives and secure one a place in the history
books - as President of the United States.
Set
in the fictional town of Hart, Missouri in the present day, the
series details the relationship between these brothers and the people
who shape their values and personalities, especially their mother.
A brilliant college professor with an unconventional parenting style,
Grace is struggling to let one son go and understand the other.
Although she has no way of knowing she is raising a future president,
it would not surprise her to know that her boys are destined for
greatness. Jack is the big brother everyone wishes they had. A natural
hero and a born leader, he seems to have everything going for him.
He's the perfect role model for Bobby, who, with a big heart and
a quick intellect, is nonetheless an undeniable social misfit. Bobby
is caught between the rival forces of his mother and his brother,
and it's impossible to please them both.
The
arrival of a new college president and his beautiful daughter impacts
the lives of all three McCallisters. In Peter Benedict (John Slattery,
Mona Lisa Smile) Grace has met not only her new boss, but an intellectual
equal. Peter is a brilliant businessman with a questionable character,
and Grace finds herself both attracted and repelled by him. Peter's
teenage daughter Courtney (newcomer Jessica Paré) soon strikes
up a friendship with Jack and forms a special bond with Bobby. The
brothers eventually learn that the brave front Courtney presents
to the world hides a painful family secret.
Another
pivotal figure in Jack and Bobby's childhood is Jack's best friend
Marcus Ride (Edwin Hodge, The Alamo). Son of the owner of J.R.,
a popular neighborhood gathering spot, Marcus is close to Jack,
but their relationship is also highly competitive. Over time, their
friendship will be tested repeatedly.
Exploring
the idea that what happens today in the life of one child could
impact the future of the entire world, upcoming episodes will focus
on the events that mold Jack and Bobby's characters and shape their
values. While the McCallister's family life in the present day is
explored, the audience will also see glimpses of what America may
be like 40 or 50 years from now. What kind of President will it
take to lead the country in 2040? What kind of world will this man
inherit? How will Jack and Bobby McCallister make the journey from
Hart, Missouri to Washington D.C. and what will their lives mean
to every American?
In an era when political parties are more divided than ever, Jack
and Bobby offers a look at a leader who truly unifies. His unlimited
hope and optimism earns President McCallister the nickname "The
Great Believer." Although the McCallister administration is
not without controversy and even scandal, the underlying message
is that one individual can still make a difference in the world.
Each episode will be themed around some aspect of character. What
makes someone inspiring? How valuable is faith or honesty? Is greatness
born in a person or is it learned? The story of Jack and Bobby McCallister
is the origin tale of a great leader.
With
flash-forward interviews of White House staffers and the First Lady,
Jack and Bobby is a snapshot of a young man being molded to beat
the odds and become this mid-century's greatest Presidential leader.
Created
by Greg Berlanti & Vanessa Taylor and Steve Cohen & Brad
Meltzer, Jack & Bobby is executive produced by Berlanti, Mickey
Liddell and Thomas Schlamme. Taylor and Andrew Ackerman (Everwood)
serve as co-executive producers.
Grace McCallister
Award-winning
and critically acclaimed stage, screen and television actress Christine
Lahti joins The WB as Grace McCallister, a liberal intellectual
struggling to let one son go while trying desperately to understand
another in the new fall drama Jack & Bobby.
Most
recently, Lahti recently starred in the television movie The Book
of Ruth, based on the book of the same name, a featured selection
on Oprah's Book Club. Other recent credits include The Pilots Wife,
based on the best-selling book of the same name by Anita Shreve,
which aired in 2002, and the ensemble Showtime feature Women vs.
Men, opposite Joe Mantegna. She also starred in the television movie
Open House, with Daniel Baldwin and Eva Marie Saint in early 2003,
and captivated audiences in Showtime's acclaimed Out Of The Ashes,
as Gisella Perl, a Jewish doctor who survived the Holocaust.
In
2000, Lahti took another challenging step in her career by directing
her first feature film, My First Mister. The film, which stars Albert
Brooks and Leelee Sobieski, was chosen as the opening night presentation
at the Sundance Film Festival in January. The poignant dark comedy
focuses on the relationship that develops between an engaging older
man and a young woman.
In
1995, Lahti won an Academy Award for her direction of the Live Action
Short Film Lieberman in Love, in which she also starred. She has
also directed several episodes of Chicago Hope, in which she starred
for four years as Doctor Kathryn Austin. For her work on Chicago
Hope, Lahti was awarded both the Emmy and Golden Globe Awards.
As
an actress, Lahti's work in motion pictures is equally varied. Her
credits include Leaving Normal, directed by Ed Zwick; The Doctor
with William Hurt; the romantic comedy Funny About Love; Gross Anatomy
and Sidney Lumet's Running on Empty, for which she received the
1988 Los Angeles Film Critic's Award, as well as a Golden Globe
nomination for Best Actress. She starred in Bill Forsyth's now classic
Housekeeping, which was voted one of the Ten Best Films of 1987
by many of America's film critics. She also starred in the films
Just Between Friends, Whose Life Is It Anyway? and ...And Justice
For All. As Goldie Hawn's best friend in the WWII comedy Swing Shift,
directed by Jonathan Demme, Ms. Lahti was honored with the Best
Supporting Actress Award from the New York Film Critics' Circle,
as well as Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations.
Lahti
starred in An American Daughter for Lifetime. Based on the critically
acclaimed play by Wendy Wassertein, Lahti portrayed a Surgeon General
nominee whose life is thrown into chaos by the sudden political
scrutiny foisted upon her. Prior to that, Lahti starred in The Ellie
Nessler Story for the USA Network. Based on a true story, Lahti
starred as the California mother who gunned down a man during his
1993 trial on charges that he sexually molested her 7-year-old son.
Lahti's
varied appearances on television include No Place Like Home, for
which she was nominated for an Emmy and won a Golden Globe Award
for Best Actress in a Television Movie; Amerika, for which she received
Emmy and Golden Globe nominations; The Executioner's Song and The
Last Tenant, with Lee Strasberg. She starred in the TNT movie Crazy
From the Heart, for which she won the Cable Ace Award for Best Actress;
The Fear Inside, for Showtime and The Good Fight for the Lifetime
Television Network.
A highly
esteemed stage actress, Lahti starred in Three Hotels, co-starring
with Richard Dreyfuss at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. This
presentation was a reprisal of her successful run in the play, which
premiered at New York's Circle Rep. Theater. She also received a
Drama Desk nomination for her role. Prior to her role in Three Hotels,
she was seen on the New York stage as Heidi Hollard in Wendy Wasserstein's
Pulitzer-Prize winning play The Heidi Chronicles.
She
received an Obie Award for her performance as Patsy Newquis in the
Second Stage revival of Jules Feiffer's Little Murders. Other New
York stage credits include Michael Weller's Loose Ends, Noel Coward's
Present Laughter, with George C. Scott; successful off-Broadway
revivals of John Guare's Landscape of the Body and Clifford Odet's
The Country Girl, with Hal Holbrook; David Mamet's The Woods, for
which she received a Theater World Award; Ted Tally's Hooters and
Steve Tisch's Division Street on Broadway.
Regionally,
she has been seen in two Tennessee Williams classics: as Maggie
in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Long Wharf Theater in New Haven
and as Alma in Summer and Smoke at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles.
Lahti has also appeared on stage in both New York and Los Angeles
in A.R. Gurney's Love Letters. At the Williamstown Theater Festival,
she appeared as Josie in Moon for the Misbegotten and in Beth Henley's
The Lucky Spot.
Lahti
and her husband, filmmaker Thomas Schlamme, reside in Los Angeles
with their children.
Jack
McCallister
Newcomer
Matt Long makes his television debut in The WB's Jack & Bobby
as Jack McCallister, a natural leader who seems to have everything
going for him.
Born
and raised in Winchester, Kentucky, Long always knew he wanted to
be an actor. He started acting in school plays in elementary school
and continued to do so throughout his college years. After graduating
from Western Kentucky University, Long moved to New York to pursue
his passion. While performing in a showcase at the Williamstown
Theater Festival in Massachusetts, he was noticed by his current
manager and signed on the spot. Within months, he had booked his
first commercial, and Jack & Bobby soon followed.
Long
currently lives in Los Angeles while filming the series. A big fan
of the outdoors, Long enjoys hiking and backpacking when not working.
Bobby
McCallister
Logan
Lerman makes his television debut as Bobby McCallister, a bright
young boy with a big heart who desperately tries to keep the peace
between his mother and his older brother in The WB's Jack &
Bobby.
Born
and raised in Beverly Hills, California, Lerman's desire to act
was ignited after seeing a Jackie Chan movie at age 2 1/2. After
the movie, he announced to his mother that he was going to be an
actor. Shortly after making his decision, Lerman landed an agent
at the age of 4 and booked two commercials back-to-back, earning
his SAG card in the process.
Lerman
made his feature film debut playing William, Mel Gibson's youngest
son in The Patriot. His next role was in the feature film Riding
in Cars With Boys. His performance caught the attention of the producers
of the CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie A Painted House,
and they cast Lerman in the starring role. Lerman's most recent
performance in The Butterfly Effect was critically acclaimed.
When
not working, Lerman is an avid soccer and baseball player. When
time permits in his busy schedule, Logan plans on taking tennis
lessons. When not involved in team sports, Lerman likes to play
with his two dogs. Currently, Lerman resides in Beverly Hills with
his family.
Courtney
Benedict
Jessica
Paré stars as Courtney Benedict, the new girl in town who
harbors a painful family secret, in The WB's Jack & Bobby.
Born
and raised in Montreal, Québec, Paré grew up watching
her father on stage and screen and decided to try her hand at the
craft. Paré started at workshops in her teens and quickly
landed a bit part in a miniseries. She followed that up with an
audition for a day player for the film Stardom. Upon seeing her
audition, the director offered her the lead role.
Paré
also starred in the television miniseries Lives of the Saints, with
Sophia Loren and Kris Kristofferson. The miniseries was set in the
1960s, and Paré played a wild love child. Paré also
appeared in the television movie The Death and Life of Nancy Eaton.
Feature
film credits include Lost and Delirious, with Mischa Barton and
Piper Perabo, Napoleon, Posers, and See This Movie, with John Cho
and Seth Myers. Next up for Paré is the feature Wicker Park.
Paré
currently lives in Los Angeles with her two cats.
Marcus
Ride
After
guest appearances in 7th Heaven and Grounded For Life, Edwin Hodge
returns to The WB in Jack & Bobby as Jack's best friend Marcus
Ride, whose natural competitiveness puts his friendship with Jack
to the test time and time again.
Born
and raised on a military base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, Hodge
moved to New York with his family when he was 3 years old. At age
9, Hodge attended a cattle call for what he thought was an audition
for a commercial. Winning over the casting directors with his athletic
ability and energy, Hodge was surprised when they announced he was
cast in the Tony Award-winning revival of Showboat on Broadway.
Heading
out to Los Angeles to continue his acting career, Hodge quickly
landed a role in the Showtime film, My Teacher Ate My Homework,
for which he received the Young Artist Award. Next up was a role
as a young Marvin Gaye in The Marvin Gaye Story. Other television
credits include guest appearances on Beyond Belief, Noah Knows Best,
Any Day Now and King of Queens. He also had a recurring role on
Boston Public for two years, playing a disturbed student who ended
up getting convicted of a crime in order to protect his brother.
Peter
Benedict
Veteran
actor John Slattery joins The WB as Peter Benedict, a brilliant
businessman with questionable character, who both infuriates and
flusters Grace McCallister (Christine Lahti) on the new drama Jack
& Bobby.
Slattery
most recently appeared in Mike Newell's Mona Lisa Smile and the
HBO series K Street, produced by George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh.
Other feature credits include Bad Company, with Anthony Hopkins,
last year's Sundance Award-winner The Station Agent, Mirimax Films'
Havana Nights, Soderbergh's Traffic, Sleepers, City Hall and Eraser.
Slattery's
memorable television appearances include Sex and the City, From
The Earth To The Moon, Will & Grace, Masterpiece Theatre's A
Death in the Family and Ed. He is currently filming the A&E
television movie The Brooke Ellison Story, directed by Christopher
Reeve.
Slattery's
last Broadway appearance was the revival of Harold Pinter's Betrayal,
opposite Juliet Binoche. He made his Broadway debut opposite Nathan
Lane in Neil Simon's Laughter on the 23rd Floor. His off-Broadway
credits include The Extra Man, Night and Her Stars and Three Days
of Rain, by Tony Award-winner Richard Greenberg.
Slattery
currently resides in New York City.
Missy
Born
in Derry, New Hampshire, and the youngest of three children, Pratt
began her career as a dancer. She studied ballet and jazz at the
Hamstead Dance Academy.
After
graduating high school, Pratt entered New York University to study
business and continued to dance at the renowned Broadway Dance Center.
 Pratt landed her first acting job on the feature film Drive
Me Crazy. Â She then moved to Los Angeles and landed roles
in Cruel Intentions 2, The Smokers starring Oliver Hudson, Busy
Phillips and Domnique Swain. Â She also starred as Christopher
Walken's daughter in America's Sweethearts and soon can be seen
in the Fox feature Fat Albert.
Pratt's
television credits include appearances on Joan of Arcadia, Nip/Tuck,
Boston Public, C.S.I: Â Crime Scene Investigation, That '70's
Show, ER, and The WB's 7th Heaven, Maybe It's Me and Sabrina, the
Teenage Witch. She also starred as Veronica Ridgeway, the
young spoiled daughter of the Ridgeway family on the WB's The Help.
In
her free time, Pratt continues her ballet studies and enjoys snowboarding
and jet-skiing.
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